Nikon KeyMission 360 price and specs appear on retailer's website

The Nikon KeyMission 360 action camera was unveiled at an event in early January, and while Nikon offered some details about the model, it did not reveal the price. Now, nearly a month later, the camera has surfaced on German retailer Cyberport's website with a list price of €499 and a features list.

The KeyMission 360 records 4K UHD video, is waterproof to depths of 30m/100ft, shockproof from heights up to 2m/6.6ft, and has electronic image stabilization, according to Nikon. The product listing includes some additional specs, including support for microSDHC/SDXC media cards, WiFi, NFC, Bluetooth, an integrated microphone, non-removable Li-Ion battery and USB 2.0.

Nikon said during its January event that it is aiming for a Spring 2016 release; it has not confirmed pricing.

Non removable battery is a killer for an "action cam", how am I going to charge this when I'm out and about? Poor. I don't think 4k is enough pixels for 360, it looks a bit low res in the samples and they are shot by people who know how to get the best out of the camera.

@Cipiatone. About the battery, I agree it's a shame that the battery is not removable. As for the resolution, sure it would be nice to have an 8k 360 camera. But that would have made it much larger and more expensive. For a consumer or hobbyist camera, 4k is the best we can realistically expect.

Currently there are few 4k-capable 360 cameras. The cheapest one I believe is the SP360 4k dual pro pack, which is $899 and requires stitching the videos from the two cameras. The Sphericam v2 is $2,499.

The price isn't a surprise. We always knew it was going to be expensive. I'm not sure why Nikon bothered? Was anyone really begging for a GoPro crossed with a Ricoh Theta? The action camera market feels like it's already past its peak. Nikon jumped on the bandwagon just after the parade was over. Oh well, we can look forward to the eventual clearance before the "Keymission 360" ever hits the market.

The Theta uses two fisheye lenses to create a photosphere. There are stitching errors for objects very close (a few inches) to the camera but it otherwise looks just like what you expect from a photosphere.

Quite the contrary actually Utomo99 ... the fewer lenses the fewer stitching errors. This is a BIG bonus for the Theta design with two fish eyes, but the resolution is not there yet. For HD desktop screens we need 6-8K but for VR 4K is ok ! :D

There are indeed one-shot 360x360 cameras such as the theta, bublcam, etc. (The Kodak SP360 is a hemisphere and requires two units to create a true photosphere) What is interesting about the Keymission is it may be the most affordable 360x360 4k video camera. It might also have better still image quality than the Theta S, which currently appeara to be the most popular 360x360 camera for consumers. The keymission is also waterproof whereas most 360 cameras are not.

Currently there are few 4k-capable 360 cameras. The cheapest one I believe is the SP360 4k dual pro pack, which is $899 and requires stitching the videos from the two cameras. The Sphericam v2 is $2,499.

Can you provide your source for that statement? (That the Nikon Keymission and Kodak SP360 are produced at the same factory.) If the Keymission is some version of the SP360, how come Kodak doesn't make their own camera with two lenses? They're currently offering two back to back SP360s as their photosphere solution.

@princecody. I saw some Karma drone samples and it seems to be a drone, period. Not a 360 drone. So it's great that GoPro is finally doing something in the drone market, but the 360 market is an entirely separate one. Their rig is not a good solution for it yet (too pricey, too large, and too difficult to use).

I think the bigger distinction between them is the 360 capability. If that feature appeals to a user, then the fact that it doesn't have an LCD or removable battery will be secondary. At least until go pro gets their own 360 camera (Gopro's 360 rig is way too expensive and big and inconvenient to use).

Yeah I was looking at the GoPro 360 rig today, looks very cool but as you say the number of cameras you need makes it prohibitive. It sounds like GoPro are developing their own 360 option, but an interesting market for Nikon to move into. Keymission 360 promo:

@ZJ24... a key difference is the the GoPro 360 is also 3D in addition to 360. Which makes a decent difference when viewed using a VR rig. I got to do "Google Cardboard Expedition Tour of Mars" using photos taken from the Spirit Mars Rover.

Despite the obvious limitations of a cardboard VR viewer, your brain is tricked into believe it could take one step up that Martian hill, walk along the trail behind you that the rover left made, or even reach out and pick up a rock at your "feet". I thought that was kind of cool. It remains to be seen if 3D will make most user-created videos more interesting (I haven't been impressed with the 3D versions of movies at all... so who knows)

@LegacyGT For whatever reason, 3D hasn't caught on despite several attempts to promote it. So, I don't think the lack of 3D capability in a 360-camera will mean much to most users. Nonetheless, for those interested, optonaut made an app that uses regular photospheres and converts them into 3D for viewing on Google cardboard. For now, the app uses panoramas taken by the phone which not surprisingly results in stitching errors. But in the future they do plan to support equirectangular photos like those taken by the Theta and Keymission.

LegacyGT: The Gopro 360 3D is not a camera, but a holder for lots of Gopro cameras (12 on the smallest model). This is in a totally different price group and doesn't compare to the more seamless 360 modes from Keymission and the Theta-series. With seamless I mean less stitching error at close distances. In my eyes those are not competing solutions. If you consider Keymission, the way more expensive Gopro 360 3D will not be an option and vice versa.

@SimenO1. I agree that VR is the perfect match for 3D. However, I think it is going too far to say that people not interested in 3D would (or should) also have no interest in 360 cameras. The surprising popularity of the Theta seems to suggest that people do appreciate 360 photos even without 3D.

@SimenO1, I agree that the 360 and Mission are pretty different in form factor, price, and targeted use. If you read the entire thread conversation you will see that's exactly what I was trying to point out to ZJ24... who himself stated the for the 360 "number of cameras you need makes it [cost] prohibitive." in talking/comparing standard GoPros, GoPro 360, and Nikon Keymission 360. Also... have you actually viewed the output of a GoPro 360 on a VR rig? My personal experience was it was pretty seamless... like you said, it isn't for showing images on a flatscreen or paper.

Actually the form factor suggests this camera could be paired to achieve a binocular view photosphere, for VR glasses. This development seems to be the next step. Maybe this field could be more interesting than what we've seen so far in 3D

@gion. Can you elaborate? Do you mean using an equirectangular panoramic photo and simulating 3D with it? Or do you mean being able to view the photosphere with a VR-type viewer such as Google Cardboard? The latter is already being done with apps such as Google Streetview and Spinnable (which is positioning itself as the Instagram of 360 photos and videos).

@creaDVty, I think @gion means joining two Nikon Keymission 360 side by side. But I don't think that works if the viewport is along the join axis of as one camera will get in the way of the other. To really do it correctly you basically would have to have a GoPro 360 setup with 4 cameras (which kind of defeats the purpose of the smaller/cheaper form factor).

@creaDVty and @LegacyGT : yes I mean joining two cameras side by side. I think the problem of one camera catching a part of the other could easily solved by software. The internal angle of view for each eye is less important and could be cut away. In reality we have the nose between our eyes... :-)

@gion No, it cannot be easily solved by software to give 3D perspective. Put you hand out by your right eye. Notice that you can't tell depth from that angle?... that's because you need BOTH eyes to see 3D. In real life we just turn our head to look (that's why the nose doesn't get in the way).

For 360 3D video ... all possible perspective must be recorded beforehand in case the person decides to turn their head to the right in the VR google. So you need two cameras to be able to see any angle possible... hence the bulky GoPro 360 setups.

@LegacyGT. Yes I'm thoroughly familiar with stereo photography (I still use my Fuji W3 sometimes). Have you seen the Google Cardboard expeditions? They are 360 3D images, yet there is only one continuous jpeg (as opposed to a pair of jpeg images) which means that interpolating 3d seems possible.

@creaDVty, yes I have done the Mars Google Cardboard expedition. I guess you right that it is possible, but that was done on a single static image. My intuition was that it was not yet computationally practical to do that on ~1080p 30fps video while the camera is in motion. That's based on my experience with software video stabilization and taking a few courses in Computer Graphics/Vision when for my Masters in Computer Science (which admittedly was over a decade ago so I might be just out of the loop). Maybe @gion is right and it is possible. I'm sorry for dismissing it so quickly.

@wlad The reason it looks like standard definition is because the camera's 360 degree field of view has to be squeezed into a 4k video. So I think it is more fair to compare its video quality to those of other 360 video cameras.

@wlad. Did you know the Ricoh Theta S (a 360 camera) is one of the hottest selling digital cameras on Amazon? There's a reason all these companies are scrambling to get a piece of the 360 ecosystem (cameras, apps, viewers, social media platforms, etc.)

@wlad. I dont know why you're insisting that it's an action camera. I guarantee that anyone who does not care for 360 photos or videos will not give a second look at this camera. On the other hand, many people who are looking for a 360 camera would be interested in the keymission if the image quality and usability are as good as that of the Theta. The extra $150 for 4k, waterproofing and shockproofing would make it worth it.

there's no 4K - the resulting image will always be low definition - no matter what device you use to view it - as long as you only have 2 eyes, you will only see low definition footage from this camera

@wlad. Again, the issue is: should this be compared to other action cameras or to 360 cameras? If I were using your tunnel vision logic, I could say, sure but when watching Gopro footage, can you swipe the screen and look behind you? It's a ridiculous argument, just as it is ridiculous to insist that the keymission image quality should match the image quality of other non-360 action cameras.

@wlad. Since you want to be so stubborn about it, in FACT, the output is 3840x2160 which is by definition 4k. It can be viewed at that resolution with your naked eyes (not a VR viewer) as an equirectangular projection image. So there! Sheesh

mclaren777: I would rather wait for a new waterproofed Theta with 4K. I think the short distance between the lenses (low stitching error) and excellent portability will be worth the wait. The bulky and twice as expensive Keymission doesn't really look like it wants to be with me in my pocket.

R U Kidding me! Obvious Nikon didn't see the post on Gopro's latest invention that caused people to have to stay home due to no work. I can't translate that dollar value to US dollar due to not wanting to search..waste of time. Anyways, if it's more than a good GOPRO...good luck. I look at it and see a GOPRO...why would I want this thing compared to my GOPRO? It better be super awesome in every way and better. I guess the mounts will look like GOPROS and other knock offs out there. Think Nikon needs to focus on what they have been good at. Everyone always wanting a piece of the GOPRO pie. Nothing wrong with that. Good luck...impress me!

This is above all a 360-camera. FYI it's one of the major trends in 2016 (for example, the Theta is one of the hottest selling digital cameras on Amazon). Among 360 cameras, there are few that are also action cameras. This one is.

@SimenO1. Like you I also hope that Ricoh will make a waterproof 4k version of the Theta (at a reasonable price). As for the lens distance, the SP360 4k dual pro pack has an even bigger distance, but I've seen sample videos from that and they don't look bad.

This camera has great promise. Hopefully they can come out with a cheaper non-waterproof version too. i think the main obstacle is not the camera but the means to view the output. At this point, I think most of us would be viewing this on a dual monitor setup, but for those who dont have dual monitors, i dont see how this is a practical camera, except in anticipation of a better future viewing setup.

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